Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled the special election for a vacant deep-blue House seat for Nov. 4, drawing swift condemnation from Democrats over the seven-month waiting period and inviting threats of legal action.
Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, died on March 5 just two months into his term representing Texas’ 18th District. His seat is one of two current Democratic vacancies in the House, where Republicans hold a threadbare majority.
“Governor Abbott is openly conspiring with House Republicans to rig the system and disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement Monday.
The New York Democrat alleged that Abbott “intentionally delayed calling a special election for nearly five weeks — or three more than he has historically taken — in order to avoid having to hold the special election in May.”
Jeffries said House Democrats were “actively exploring legal options to compel Governor Abbott and his House Republican co-conspirators to do the right thing.”
In a statement Monday announcing the special election date, Abbott said the November date was “appropriate” and would “give Harris County sufficient time to prepare for such an important election.”
“No county in Texas does a worse job of conducting elections than Harris County,” the Republican governor said. “They repeatedly fail to conduct elections consistent with state law. Safe and secure elections are critical to the foundation of our state. Forcing Harris County to rush this special election on weeks’ notice would harm the interests of voters.”
The November special election date gives House Republicans some breathing room on tight votes, especially as they try to push through a reconciliation bill to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda. Republicans are currently at full strength in the chamber with 220 seats, following a pair of special elections in Florida to fill GOP vacancies.
The other House vacancy is in Arizona’s 7th District, which will hold a special election in September to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. The primary will be held on July 15.
Turner was elected in November to the Houston-area seat vacated by the death of longtime Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Harris County Democrats handpicked Turner as their nominee for the regular election, which he easily won. He didn’t run in the concurrent special election for Jackson Lee’s unexpired term; that race was won by the late congresswoman’s daughter, Erica Carter Lee, who served until Turner was sworn in on Jan. 3.
Several Democrats have already entered the race for Turner’s seat in Texas. They include acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards and former Jackson Lee aide Isaiah Martin.
Edwards unsuccessfully challenged Jackson Lee in the 2024 primary for the 18th District and finished second to Turner in the selection process by Harris County Democrats to choose the late congresswoman’s replacement on the general election ballot.
Menefee, whose candidacy has the support of Carter Lee and former Texas Reps. Beto O’Rourke and Colin Allred, accused Abbott of “playing politics” with district voters over his decision to set the special election for November.
“Nearly 800,000 Houstonians have no voice in Congress,” Menefee posted on social media. “The Governor needs to do his job. Call a June election for Texas’s 18th Congressional District. Now.”
The vacancy in the 18th District could endure past November. Under Texas law, all candidates, regardless of party, will run on the same special election ballot, but a December runoff will be held if no candidate clears 50 percent of the vote.
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